A Queen's Ambitions
by starrysky7
Summary: I wanted to be queen, she thought, I could lie until the war was won, but I wanted to be queen when Robb offered.


**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to its rightful owners**

 **This is a part of a series of one-shots, the rest of which you can find on my profile**

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The Freys were gone. The Karstarks were gone. _How many more would abandon us now_ , she thought, _surely they all know the North will not win_. All Robb could hope to do was run back North, like a dog with its tail between its legs, and hope that getting rid of the Ironborn would placate the other lords.

They knew him weak now, and they would take advantage of that weakness. He would not be able to deny the requests of his lords, not when they bled for him in a useless war.

"Gods be good," she heard Robb say, his voice bleeding through her thoughts, "Who would ever want to be king?"

 _I wanted to be queen_ , she thought, _I could lie until the war was won, but I wanted to be queen when Robb offered_.

Her fingers began to strum a rhythm on the table, a desperate attempt to save herself from drowning in her guilt.

 _At least Catelyn killed him for her daughters_ , she thought, _you killed him for a crown_.

 _No, no, no_. She didn't force him to marry her. Whatever decisions he made were his own.

"For god's sake would you stop tapping!" Robb demanded

Jerking her head, she turned her thunderous gaze upon him, and whatever words he might have spoken died in his mouth. But she said nothing. Simply raised herself from her chair, and without another word, stormed from the hall.

Curling her hands up into fists, she gripped so tightly that her nails pierced the skin. The pain was nothing to her. And, in fact, she only realized what she had done when she saw the blood once she had sought sanctuary in her room.

 _It's the only blood I will shed for the rest of the war_ , she realized, _except the blood of the birthing bed_.

That was all she was now. A brooding mare, whose only purpose was to mate and breed. Even Robb, good, sweet Robb, viewed her as nothing more than his wife. In Widow's Watch she had ruled, now her days past with nothing to do. She could not fight. She had command over no one. And her own king would not listen to her.

She could always leave, flee to the east for refuge. _My crown would buy me passage_ , she thought, _to Braavos, to my brother, he would keep us safe_. _And then when you're child grew old what would you say of its father_ , she asked herself, _would you admit you abandoned your husband to die alone_? But then her child might live, and what price would she be willing to pay for that?

But she would not run away, she could not. For she had pledged herself to Robb, an oath only broken by death. _Mayhaps sooner that I'd like_ , she thought, _but only as soon as I would allow it_.

Robb came to her that night, later than she hoped, but no later than she expected. He couldn't look her in the eye when he entered, awkwardly fiddling with his hands in front of him.

"There's no need to apologize." She said, "You're stressed, it's understandable."

"But I should not have taken that out on you." He admitted, moving to collapse onto the bed, "I just, I don't know what to do. I have to execute Lord Karstark, to not do so would be dishonourable."

"You must execute him because to treat treason lightly will be perceived as weakness." Layla said, "But you don't have any way of filling your numbers. If only you'd let me ask my brother,"

"No." Robb commanded, "I will not employ sellswords."

"These aren't ordinary sellswords, this is my brother, he would never betray me." She retorted, "He would bring five hundred men, at least half of them mounted."

"There's no honour in sellswords."

"Damn your honour!" She retorted, "You wouldn't let me give money to the Freys."

"Bought loyalty is no loyalty." He replied, "You said that. Or did you forget?"

"It's better than no loyalty." She spat, "And I forget nothing."

The king was so angered by her belligerence she was surprised there was not steam pouring from his ears. He left her that night and did not return. The bed was cold without him, but she would never let him know how she ached for him. Let him think her unfeeling.

 _If you wanted a demure wife you should not have married me_ , she thought, _I will not be silent just because I am a woman_.

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 **There's a poll on my profile where you can vote on your favourite love interest for Layla.**


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